I think this one has comic elements but isn't even really a comedy. The message is more important here, and I think that is why the overdone lame slapstick stuff seems out of place in this one. If I was judging this as a comedy it wouldn't have made my list. But the theme, message, Veronica Lake, and everything else is why I added it to the list. It seemed like a departure for Sturges. Have you seen Shut My Big Mouth? All of the stuff Joe E. Brown does in Some Like it Hot he does in this film, and it is even funnier. I think Joe E. Brown is very underrated as a comedic actor.
I think so As a child Movies with alot of snow or sand blowing gave me nausea and headaches The brightness of the black and white [like if u use the CONTRAST BLACK AND WHITE on your Microsoft XP] just kills my eyes IT took me like 3 sittings to make it through DUNE Rocket River
I'm surprised no one has mentioned, "Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolf" A fantastic movie, one of my personal top 5.
im sorry but citizen kane is one of the most overrated movies of all time. WHY THE HELL IS IT CONSIDERED THE BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME?!?!?
For all of the Marx Brothers fans out there set your Tivo's and recordable DVD players for August 2nd. They are having all the Marx brothers on in a huge marathon on Turner Classic Movies. My favorites are in particular order: The Cocoanuts Horse Feathers Monkey Business Animal Crackers A Night at the Opera Go West A Day at the races Duck Soup I have several of those already, but I will be filling in the gaps on August 2nd.
Dark Victory On The Waterfront Casablanca Citizen Kane The Gold Rush The Kid The Miracle Worker Rebel without a cause King Creole Schindler's list Hard Luck The Playhouse more i can't recall..
It may seem like the script and the film making is old hat these days, but at the time Kane was released it was earth-shaking in it's innovations. In every scene of the film everything is in focus, background and foreground. It's called "deep focus". In some cases to get that effect they would shoot a scene with the forground and then shoot the same scene with background in focus - they then blended the two shots by placing the two strips together. It's an amazing amount of work to get the "perfect" shot. The other revolutionary film tactic was the low angle shots that made everyone appear so tall. Most films during this time were shot on sound stages and that kind of shot simply was not available because sets in those days did not have ceilings - most of the ceilings in Kane are muslin cloth hiding the microphones used to capture the dialog. The biggest thing is Wells had COMPLETE control over the project. He made it exactly the way he wanted to. Something the movie studios would never allow again. I enjoy the story in the film, but the behind-the-scenes creativity is what ranks this movie so high in my book. Citizen Kane, like Birth of a Nation are road signs for every film that came after them IMO.
Never heard of it. Though there are some gaps in my consciousness of older movies. I've seen, or at least heard about all the typical "classic" films (the ones that make AFI lists, or are by big name directors), and pretty much all the screwball comedies that I can get my hands on. Why screwball comedy you ask. There's just something about the witty repartee and comedic back and forth of the genre that appeals to me. I just love anything with smart dialogue. Here's some more on my list: There's the Billy Wilder collection with Double Indemnity Sunset Blvd Some like it Hot The Apartment Flat out, these are four of the greatest movies ever made. And the range is incredible. From the gritty, noirish, intensely forboding Double Indemnity to the gothic, bitterly biting Sunset Blvd, to the truly hilarious, and lighthearted Some like it Hot, to the melancholy sadness in the Apartment. It's just incredible when you look at the body of work that Wilder has got under his belt. After Sturges (who was more of a shooting star ala Sandy Koufax), Wilder is by far my favorite writer/director (and speaking of sports metaphors, he would be more like Roger Clemons because of his longevity and range) Another director I like is Howard Hawkes, and my favorites from him are: Bringing up Baby His Girl Friday The Big Sleep To Have and To Have not Baby and Friday, are pretty much the two quintessential Screwball comedies. You watch those two, and you pretty much understand the entire genre. I wouldn't say they were the best screwballs, but they are certainly the most iconic, and representative. As for Sleep and Have Not. It's Bogey and Bacall. What more is there to say. Seriously, it's impossible to watch Bacall in her prime and not come away in love. You can't do it. Everything I said about Veronica Lake, about how she's got a deep sexy voice, and a cool confident attitude, well that's Bacall times two. And there is a scene in both movies that just cements her legend. There's the "whistle" scene in Have Not, and the horseracing discussion in The Big Sleep. Those bits are worth the price of admission. And I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention Astaire and Rogers: Swingtime Top Hat Shall We Dance The Gay Divorcee These are their big ones. They've got a few lesser films that aren't as good, and some where they share billing. But these four are pitch-perfect. For those that have never heard of them, Astaire and Rogers are pretty much the greatest dance team in silver screen history. Hell, let's be frank and cut out the "silver screen" bit. The way they glided and flowed in and out of each other's arms, it was breath-taking. The movies are basically screwball comedies with dancing in it, so all the plots are pretty much the same: 1. Boy meets Girl 2. Boy falls for Girl 3. Boy chases Girl 4. They dance 5. Girl falls too, but there's a misunderstanding that keeps them apart. 6. They dance some more 7. Misunderstanding gets cleared up, and they get together. 8. And they give us one last number for the road. Doesn't matter if the plot is hokey or borderline dumb. The dialogue is smart and playful. And the part where they channel a larger than life helping of Romantic and Sexual energy into the movement of their feet, legs, and body is a sight to behold. That's all for now. I'll try to go over some more later on.
the use of shadows played a great deal in it being a great movie. one of the most famous shots was when Kane stood up and applauded in almost complete darkness with one stream of light going across the screen. He was also the only one applauding his own play and it was a great metaphor for his life. Kane isn't a movie based on a plot or how one person falls in love, loses the other and gets them back. Or a crime has been commited and a hero, likely or unlikely, gets drawn in to settle the score. It's about one person who has everything in the world, and has absolutely nothing. No one could understand his simplistic grief in all that he wanted was his childhood and love. It also explored the role the media would play in politics. Welles was extremely progressive in that sense. For almost the whole movie, ur kinda like wtf is this all about. Then in the closing seconds, everything is crystal clear.
